Darla Zimmerman-Pilant

As of January 2nd, the total snowfall in Spokane for the season was 66.9 inches. We’ve broken all the previous records.

It is getting hard to come by a shovel, scraper, snowblower or roof rake anywhere. One day before Christmas we stopped to pick up some replacement wiper blades at Shucks Auto, and the parts guy told us rather grumpily that they were sold out… he had sold 1,500 wiper blades that day!

It seems like it has snowed every day for the last two weeks, and the forecast keeps calling for more of the white stuff. I am not complaining. I grew up in North Dakota where this kind of accumulation is no big deal plus you could expect wind every day plus temperatures waaay below zero. After this last snowfall, the trees had a heavy coat of snow. When the sun came out later in the day it was absolutely beautiful. I took several photos around our house, take a look at the slideshow!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Home staging is the art of maximizing a home's best features to create an edge over the competition. That means cleaning, eliminating clutter, working with the "flow" of a home, neutralizing colors, creating the illusion of space, editing and arranging furniture, and enhancing curb-appeal. Other tricks of the trade include using design psychology to appeal to a buyer's emotions. The end goal is to make the home appeal to the largest number of buyers by transforming it into an appealing and attractive product for sale. For vacant homes, minimal staging furniture helps create an inviting space where buyers can envision themselves living.

In our current market, where listing inventory is high and market time can stretch into several months, staging can make a huge difference. Research has shown that properly staged homes sell for 5% more on average than non-staged homes. Survey results for average market time vary according to source and market, but most indicate that staged homes sell in half the time of non-staged homes.

I recently earned the Accredited Home-Staging Specialist (AHS) designation, joining a growing group of real estate agents who recognize the importance of providing value-added service to their clients. For general information on how staging can help sell your home, visit www.stagingspecialist.com, and for specific help, contact me for a free preliminary assessment.

Yep, you read that right. Most people know by now that the Spokane Real Estate market has not experienced the steep decline in values that many other locations have seen. Although listing inventory is high and total sales have declined, we've held fairly steady on prices. But that doesn't mean there are not great buying opportunities here.

One of Spokane's largest and most reputable home builders, Sullivan Homes, went into court receivership in early August. Spokane attorney Nancy Isserlis was appointed as the receiver of Sullivan Homes' assets, which included 32 homes and 72 building lots, with a combined list price of $20.7 million.

Here's a link to the story that ran in the newspaper: Sullivan Homes Files to Liquidate: http://www.spokesmanreview.com/breaking/story.asp?ID=15928

My husband and I recently represented the purchasers of one of Sullivan's new construction homes in the new Bidwell Park development. While the offer process took several extra days than what is typical, after a few back and forth counters we signed around a deal at $318,000 on a beautiful home that was listed at $364,900. That's $46,900 or 13% off the asking price, (which originally started at $379,850). How's that for built-in equity?

Sullivan has always built a good home, with quality materials and workmanship. So if you are looking for new construction, this is a great opportunity. There are still dozens of Sullivan homes available in some of Spokane's nicest developments - Legacy Ridge, Canyon Bluffs, Morningside Heights, and Bidwell Park to name just a few.

If you would like a list (or a tour!) of the homes that are still available, just let me know. Because there are several different lenders holding the paper on these homes, there are no guarantees on how each will respond to offers. But it is a great opportunity to get a screaming deal on a new house.